Gary Tillery

Gary Tillery was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1947, the son of a farmer who moved his family west to start a new life after they were ravaged by an Oklahoma tornado. Following service with the U. S. Air Force in Vietnam, he returned to Phoenix and earned a Bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies from Arizona State University and a Master's degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management. After nearly two decades in the business world, primarily as co-owner of an advertising agency in suburban Chicago, he re-channeled his efforts into his lifelong passion for literature and art. His best-known book is The Cynical Idealist, which examines the spiritual life and philosophy of John Lennon. His most prominent work of art is the sculpture at the heart of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in downtown Chicago. Tillery's interest in film work began in 2011, when he participated in the creation of Qwerty, an indie film being shot in the northern suburbs of Chicago.